Car prowl suspects tell police how they do it, and how you can protect your property

ORTING, Wash. -- Surveillance video from an Orting home shows a man walking up the driveway.  He appears to be testing door handles on vehicles, until he finds one that's unlocked.

“It’s ridiculous. People just trying to live up here, not trying to cause problems,” says neighbor Chris.

Other neighbors nearby say they are fed up with thieves prowling their properties.

“There’s been gas siphoning, as well as the car prowlers, so I’d like to see all that stop,” says Chris.

Car prowls are happening everywhere, from Orting to Bellevue, where police just arrested three car prowlers suspected in a series of thefts across the region.  One of the suspects told police he would always check the door handles until he found one that was unlocked.

That's why police say it’s so important to always lock your door.  The suspects also told investigators that once they got inside a car, they’d look for spare keys inside the center console or the glove box.

Police say never leave spare keys in the car. It just makes it that much easier for a thief.

The suspects told police they stayed away from homes with security signs, video surveillance and active neighborhood watch groups -- something people in this Orting community are seriously considering.

“Invest in a gun and some good cameras,” says Chris.